Avnet Technology Solutions Teams with Azaleos for Managed E-mail Appliances and Services

Business Wire, April 30, 2007

Exclusive Agreement Enables Avnet's IBM Partners to Deliver Complete Managed Solution for Microsoft Exchange 2007

ST. LOUIS -- Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, a value-added distributor of enterprise computing products, software and services and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), today announced an exclusive North American distribution agreement with independent software vendor Azaleos, a leading provider of highly available managed e-mail appliances and managed services for Microsoft Exchange. Together, Avnet and Azaleos will provide Avnet's IBM value-added reseller (VAR) partners with a complete solution for upgrading or migrating their customers to Microsoft's latest enterprise e-mail application, Exchange 2007.

Under this agreement, Avnet will help its partners deliver complete IBM server solutions for Microsoft Exchange that include Azaleos' enterprise software and services. Azaleos OneServer[TM], BladeMail[TM] and OneStop[TM] Managed Services integrate remote monitoring, management, archiving, reporting, backup and disaster recovery services into a single platform with Microsoft Exchange and IBM enterprise technologies. Additionally, partners can take advantage of Avnet's comprehensive suite of managed services for hosting, monitoring or outsourcing of e-mail management, while expanding their offerings in the Microsoft server environment.

"E-mail is one of the most mission critical business applications," said Tony Madden, senior vice president and general manager of Avnet Technology Solutions' IBM business unit. "Azaleos leverages proven enterprise technology as companies look to upgrade their e-mail environment. By adding Azaleos to our IBM solutions portfolio, our partners have the opportunity to create unique e-mail services and simplify the migration to Exchange 2007 from any e-mail platform, accelerating the growth of their businesses."

As a result of this new relationship, Azaleos will continue to expand its reach in North America through Avnet's extensive distribution channel and value-added services. Avnet's deep technical expertise and dedication to superior customer service will help ensure that its partners understand the market for e-mail services and have the resources to be successful in selling Azaleos solutions to businesses of all sizes.

"Avnet is the ideal distributor to help us expand the market for Azaleos' Microsoft Exchange e-mail appliances," said Phil Van Etten, CEO of Azaleos. "Through Avnet's training programs, partner support, comprehensive e-mail services and network of solution providers in North America, we can deliver a highly scalable, reliable e-mail infrastructure to customers regardless of company size or location."

The Azaleos OneServer and BladeMail e-mail appliances support up to 6,000 and 42,000 users, respectively, and multiple appliances can connect together to serve even the largest e-mail environments. OneStop Managed Services provide 7 day a week, 24 hour a day monitoring, patch management, backup and optional business continuity and disaster recovery services for the Microsoft Exchange infrastructure.

"The Avnet and Azaleos solution has everything we need to help our clients migrate to the latest versions of the sophisticated Exchange software," said David Stone, vice president, business development, Solutions-II, Inc. "Now we have a complete solution backed by Avnet's professional support and Azaleos' proven technology to further enhance our unique service offerings and accelerate our time to market."

Azaleos will present and demonstrate the Azaleos OneServer in the Avnet booth at the Solutions Center at IBM PartnerWorld, April 29-May 2.

About Azaleos

Azaleos provides the only enterprise-class managed messaging solutions that combine a Microsoft[R] Exchange appliance with 24 hour a day, 7 day a week remote management and maintenance, ensuring high reliability, availability and performance for your Exchange environment.

The Azaleos OneServer appliance and OneStop managed services offer unmatched uptime, proactive monitoring by Exchange experts, patch management, system fixes, and reporting. With Azaleos, your Exchange environment remains in your network and messaging just works, enabling your IT staff to focus on new initiatives that help you grow your business. A standardized, scalable solution, Azaleos managed e-mail appliances can be installed and running in less than a day.

Microsoft Gold Certified and Redmond, WA-based Azaleos Corporation, founded by Exchange experts in 2004, is led by senior executives from leading technology companies such as Microsoft, IBM and Lotus.

About Avnet Technology Solutions

Avnet Technology Solutions is an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT) representing US$5.1 billion in annual revenue for calendar year 2006, with locations in more than 30 countries. As a global technology sales and marketing organization, Avnet Technology Solutions has sales divisions focused on specific customer segments and a select line card strategy enabling an exceptional level of attention to the needs of its customers and suppliers. Visit www.ats.avnet.com/.>